Rescued Orphaned Elephant Highlights Nigeria's Conservation Fight

In Nigeria's Okomu National Park, a months-old orphaned forest elephant calf named Agbaibor is receiving round-the-clock care after being rescued when he wandered out of the rainforest alone. Wildlife caretakers prepare milk formula for the young elephant, who requires two liters per meal. Forest elephants, a smaller and more elusive subspecies than their savannah relatives, are critically endangered, with their populations having drastically declined due to habitat loss and poaching.

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The baby elephant has to take two liters of this per meal.

Agbaibor was discovered near a palm oil plantation bordering the protected forest late last year, separated from his herd. Despite attempts by rangers and conservationists to reunite him with his family, the calf repeatedly wandered back out. Fearing for his survival, park authorities and the conservation group African Nature Investors (ANI) initiated an emergency rescue. They brought in elephant rehabilitation specialists from Zambia and assigned dedicated caretakers to raise Agbaibor in a makeshift pen at a ranger outpost.

The rehabilitation process is a costly undertaking, with ANI spending between four and five million naira (approximately $2,900-$3,600) monthly on Agbaibor's care. This includes substantial amounts of milk powder, oats, and nutritional supplements. Conservationists anticipate the rehabilitation will take another three to five years. Plans are in motion to construct a new enclosure deeper within the park, in an area frequented by wild herds. This new habitat will gradually expose Agbaibor to the sounds and movements of wild elephants before his eventual reintroduction.

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Okomu is critical for conservation in Nigeria. In a small ecosystem like this, housing 40 elephants is a huge number, and it needs to be protected at all costs.

Okomu National Park is a vital sanctuary, housing an estimated 40 forest elephants within its approximately 24,000 hectares, which is considered a significant number for such a small ecosystem. However, the forest faces increasing pressures from logging, poaching, farming, and expanding human settlements. These activities fragment elephant corridors and heighten interactions between wildlife and local communities. Former illegal timber transporter Godstime Christopher, now an ANI ranger, shared how his perspective shifted after joining the organization, moving from exploitation to conservation through their training.

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When I became a ranger, I thought I would use that to exploit logging. But the training changed our mentality.